The ratty girls

[Banned Member 1]

I hope all goes well.

Thanks. She is seeing the vet tomorrow. Amoxicillin seems to have cleared up the infection pretty quick but unfortunately not before the infection got under the replacement stitches and surgical glue and everything came unstuck again. I have been doing everything I can to keep her super clean, thankfully I'm around almost all day to clear up any mess as soon as it appears, change out her paper towels very frequently and wash the wound out regularly. It seems to be working, I compared pictures from today and two days ago and there are definite signs of new skin appearing and the wound slowly healing.

If the vet thinks she needs restitching I will go with his decision but otherwise I think patience is the call at this point. I'm going to ask if we can keep her on the amoxicillin for now to hopefully prevent any reinfection.

It's been an exceedingly stressful time. I'm about to have to do a lot of care for a person close to me who is having major surgery and the timing of all this is pretty terrible. Right now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll continue to make slow positive progress and I'll be able to muddle through dealing with everything at once. If Harley ends up with a reinfection I might have to check her into a pet hospital or something like that...

 

[Maz]

It sounds like you're doing everything you can and fingers crossed things improve.

 

[RainbowBrite]

I am so sorry you are going through all this. I hope the person close to you recovers quickly from the surgery and it goes well.

All the best for Harley at the vets tomorrow.

 

[elusive]

Sorry to hear you’re having such a stressful time, I hope Harley makes more improvement soon & that things get easier for you al lround.

 

[Member ID2]

You really have too much on your plate. Is there anyway you could involve another person to help out? Sometimes we struggle on because we don't like to ask.

If you have to cope by yourself then all i can wish is for the best outcome for everybody whether rat or human. And don't forget about your own wellbeing.

 

[Banned Member 1]

You really have too much on your plate. Is there anyway you could involve another person to help out? Sometimes we struggle on because we don't like to ask.

If you have to cope by yourself then all i can wish is for the best outcome for everybody whether rat or human. And don't forget about your own wellbeing.

I don't know anyone who could help me really unfortunately and I have asked around but have only had one offer of help, from a rescue quite a distance away. Still, it's a backup plan if things go from bad to worse.

 

[Maz]

Sometimes this things just work out once you get into a routine. You find time for different jobs at different times of day and it ends up not quite as bad as you expected . Sounds like you might need to start drawing up a rota though! I find rota's help when things get hectic - and just tick things off as they're done. And build in some rest time as well. Neither rat nor human will need attention every minute of the day.

 

[Banned Member 1]

The vet feels that stitching her up again probably wouldn't be viable. However the wound is forming granulation tissue nicely so if I keep doing what I am doing it should heal by itself in time. He also suggested using manuka honey which a couple of people have also suggested but I wanted to check with him before starting using it.

 

[Riven]

Sometimes this things just work out once you get into a routine. You find time for different jobs at different times of day and it ends up not quite as bad as you expected . Sounds like you might need to start drawing up a rota though! I find rota's help when things get hectic - and just tick things off as they're done. And build in some rest time as well. Neither rat nor human will need attention every minute of the day.

This is exactly what I do, especially if I'm having a flare too. Makes things so much easier and you're also less likely to forget something.

 

[Riven]

The vet feels that stitching her up again probably wouldn't be viable. However the wound is forming granulation tissue nicely so if I keep doing what I am doing it should heal by itself in time. He also suggested using manuka honey which a couple of people have also suggested but I wanted to check with him before starting using it.

Hopefully she'll bounce back in no time. Are you to still continue with the amoxicillin? Let's hope Harley doesn't try and eat the honey

 

[Banned Member 1]

Hopefully she'll bounce back in no time. Are you to still continue with the amoxicillin? Let's hope Harley doesn't try and eat the honey

Yeah we're continuing with amoxicllin for now. I am keeping Harley wrapped so she can't get to the wound. She'll probably rub honey on her tissue bedding and then lick at that though!

 

[Maz]

Manuka honey is good. Won’t do any harm if licked

 

[Banned Member 1]

A little clip of Harley enjoying some pettings while waiting for the vet earlier. (please excuse the state of my hands, constant use of anti-bacterial soap isn't doing my skin much good)

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[RainbowBrite]

Aw, get well soon Harley.

 

[Riven]

Awe, love the video, brings back memories of my mischiefs.

 

[Banned Member 1]

Unfortunately things still aren't going well. She seems to lose tissue as fast as it regrows. I've been chatting to some very experienced rat owners and assessing her quality of life was raised. Given that stitching her back up again isn't possible it'd be unfair to leave her like this for weeks on end if there isn't a good chance of it healing properly. She has also stopped eating and drinking again, she has lost over a quarter of her body weight since all this began. Were she a younger and healthy rat there might have been other options, removing the leg, as awful as that sounds, would have provided the extra skin necessary to stitch her up again without the wound being pulled too taut. She's not in any state to have another general anaesthetic now though.

As a result I've pulled the spare large cage base out of storage and have put together a cage all three of the rats can be in together in the day. I've lined it with paper towels that can be changed out really frequently. Harley will still be living separately from the other two at night when I can't supervise them. She has no stitches left in so I've unbandaged her and hopefully she will leave her wound site alone. I am aware that significant risks come with this. There's a chance that she, or one of her cagemates will bother the wound and cause further problems and it makes another infection more likely. On the other hand she won't be utterly miserable, uncomfortable and alone, which might make her more inclined to eat and drink which will boost her immune system and ability to heal.

I still feel awful about all this, obviously not putting her through surgery would have been the better call, even if she'd only had a couple of months before the growths became a problem it'd have been better than how this has ended up. All I can do right now is try to make her life happier and hope that things turn around...

 

[Maz]

I'm sorry to hear this. You didn't know the surgery was going to end up being so invasive.

 

[RainbowBrite]

So sorry to hear this.

 

[Banned Member 1]

I'm sorry to hear this. You didn't know the surgery was going to end up being so invasive.

i've always been so lucky in the past. One of my partners' male rats (that weren't mine but I did a lot of looking after them) had surgery for a tumour at a fairly advanced age and recovered well. Devon had a really easy time with surgery at 20 months old, Miku survived a surgery at 26 months old, which is often considered too old to be a good candidate for surgery. I guess I've been so used to things turning out well that it's a huge shock to actually be facing this. Like, I knew rationally that there's always a risk that things won't turn out ok, but that's different from the emotional bombshell of actually dealing with it.

 

[Member ID2]

Have i told you the story of my dwarf Clarissa? It was very similar to Harley's so i totally understand how you feel. Neither you or your vet could have forseen this unfortunate outcome. You both had Harley's best interest at heart.